Lately, there have been more than a handful of high-profile books touting a vegan existence. Freedman and Barnouin’s Skinny Bitch (pictured above) and Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet among them; I read one, skimmed several others and I have, to risk the use of a terribly cheesy pun, beef.

While I can, mostly off the top of my head, recite for you the nutritional needs of every animal in my care human nutrition is, admittedly, not my strong suit. For that reason — and because I find it largely irrelevant, another story for another day — I will not argue against the premise that meat is nutritionally detrimental to humans.

What I will point out — over the course of the next few weeks — is that books like those listed have completely overlooked an important and rapidly growing demographic of food producers in North America and that the consequences of doing so, on a mass scale, will negatively affect not just the people, but the animals therein. Yes, even those intended for slaughter. And that it is, as long as we’re speaking in cheesy puns and cliches, possible to have your happy, healthy pig (or cow or chicken or quail or duck or goose) and eat it too!

So what about the people? For the first time in decades the U.S. is seeing a significant increase in the number of small farms in operation. Perhaps since WWII herself, when the industrialization and centralization of our food system hit full stride, David is wiggling from under the thumb of Goliath. And, most significant, he’s being backed by consumer dollars. The very thing that makes the world, or at the very least business, go ’round.

But it’s not just David either. “Donna” has also entered the brawl. Between 2002 and 2007 the number of female farm operators increased by nearly twenty percent. Like medicine, engineering, mathematics and countless other industries agriculture has always been a boys’ club, but today women are playing a major role in the restructuring and revival of it from within. They’re supporting their families, strengthening their communities and paving the way for a healthier, more equal society tomorrow while implementing systems that can sustain both the earth and its people.

In fact, organic produce was harvested from more than 200,000 acres in 2007. That’s just from the farms that are not so small they’re flying under the census radar; and where there is organic produce, there are small meat producers not far behind. In many instances they are one and the same.

Small, diversified farms may, as a matter of fact, be the single most sustainable model on the agricultural landscape today. Able to produce natural fertilizer off their land, by way of animals they feed from it, they can create a cyclical balance that cannot be reproduced. And the people behind those farms are the ethically astute people we need behind the scenes of our Agricultural Evolution. Stop supporting them and we stop supporting the sustainable restructuring of our food system.

So how do we cut through the jargon and find the right meat, milk and egg producers? Join me next week when we’ll look at just that.

For the past several weeks here the woods have been bustling — and not just because the wildlife that inhabits them are feverishly preparing for the long winter ahead. It has been, and in the next few weeks will continue to be, hunting season. First, in the month of October, come the bow hunters. They were followed by modern firearm season — shotguns and rifles, depending on the region — during the last two weeks of November, which is followed by muzzle loader season and late doe season during December.

We’ve been in the woods off-and-on ourselves; hoping to fill the freezer until next year — our red meat needs are met almost exclusively with venison, rather than beef. And there are few people in our close group of friends who weren’t in the woods too. It’s as if life, outside of work, all but stops during firearm season. And, as far as I’m concerned, for good reason.

Gamey, tough, foul-tasting; wild game, and venison specifically, gets a bad reputation it doesn’t deserve. Throughout much of the midwest, such as here in Michigan, deer are grain fed; or at least supplemented. They glean their bounty directly from the crop farmers’ fields — much to the chagrin of those farmers and the detriment of the final crop, of course. Long has it been since deer fed off the slim pickings of swamps and ran for thousands of miles prior to their first birthday. In our area, prepared well, even older bucks are ‘good eating’ these days; having to travel only relatively short distances to find food, potential mates and suitable areas for bedding down bodes well for both deer and the hunters who plan to consume them.

Which is why I was particularly excited to find The Michigan Venison Company selling wild, Michigan-harvested venison via Foodzie for the country to enjoy. From tenderloin and steaks to ground venison — which is great in any recipe calling for ground beef — their shop contains it all.

But what is well prepared? It’s easier than you may think. Before we get to that however, make sure you’re starting with a quality cut of venison. Many deer now inhabit regions that offer plentiful food and a relatively low stress and travel lifestyle, but that’s not true of all areas. If you either don’t live in an area that can offer quality venison or can’t find quality cuts for retail locally — check with butchers and processing centers — consider ordering venison in from a reputable company such as The Michigan Venison Company. And a quick word to the wise, as long as we’re on the topic, if you want wild game read the fine print. Traditionally wild animals, like deer, are now farmed as well as hunted and their meat offered for sale. While this isn’t necessarily an issue in and of itself if you’re looking for a wild meal this is important to note.

Once you’ve got your quality venison in-hand you can begin the preparation. You needn’t even have a venison specific recipe in hand; venison can be successfully substituted in any recipe calling for beef in the same or similar cut. Ground venison, for instance, is delicious in all of our favorite meals; tacos, chili, goulash, lasagna, spaghetti, shepherd’s pie, and many others. There are just a few principles of cooking with venison to keep in mind:

Venison is Lean. Add fat as needed. And perhaps more importantly, just because fat is traditionally there, doesn’t mean it’s needed. As a general rule of thumb add fat only when you need to meat to hold together such as in hamburgers or meatballs.

Venison cooks more quickly than beef. Don’t “set it and forget it”; especially the first few times you cook it. I’m convinced most of those who think venison is tough really just don’t know how to cook it. To err on the side of complete caution it’s recommended that venison be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. In practice however, it is routinely cooked to 130 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the preferences of the diner.

Venison requires less seasoning. Especially salt. Not only does venison’s natural flavor allow it to be spiced and seasoned less than it should be salted only lightly, if at all, so its natural juices are not drawn out.

Happy wild eating! Do you have a sure fire wild game preparation tip? Share it in the comments.

It probably comes as no surprise that I tend to follow the work of Michael Pollan. One of his most recent articles in the New York Times, Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch, is no exception. I ran across it shortly after it was published and can admit it took me a few days to get through its eight rather comprehensive pages.

However, while I pride myself on being a feminist and do believe gender roles should be banished forevermore, while other people were responding with concern of it’s more sexist undertones (those I see, but think have been taken out of context — another story, for another day) I was busy fixating on another point made in the article.

At some point during the past few weeks, despite what the calendar says, autumn has wrapped its chilled fingers around the year 2010 and promised to stay whether we like it or not. As southern portions of the United States have continued to bake — albeit at slightly lower temperatures — the crisp, cool breeze of fall has swathed Canada and the northern U.S. and has begun to creep slowly south. Maple trees have been caught changing their colors in the broad light of day along well travelled roads, school buses have started showing up at the end of driveways cloaked in the darkness of mornings once light and sunny, the livestock have started to grow fuzzy coats in preparation for colder days and nights, acorns have dropped, squirrels have begun collecting them.

Here we’ve already broken out a few of fall’s old standbys; my favorite black sweatshirt — one that is older than I am — is back in use, next to the front door are the tall, waterproof chore boots that are required to step outside this time of year, extra throws grace the arms of our sofa and favorite chairs, candles burn almost around the clock giving off a warm glow. Of all the things that make a welcome reemergence in our lives each year however, I can’t honestly say any of these are my favorite. That special place in my heart is reserved for the hot, filling comfort foods that we depend on to get us through the dark, cold days of fall and winter.

I tend to gravitate towards one-pot dishes for comfort. Chili, goulash — ours a variation of the German version of the dish, in a thick tomato sauce with pasta — Manhattan Clam Chowder, Lentil Soup, a traditional beef stew with carrots and onions and celery and potatoes. I like to pair dishes heavy on broth and sauce with cheddar biscuits, rolls, breadsticks; a slave to fresh-from-the-oven carbs, I am.

Of course, I would be remiss not to include, aside from their hearty nature, one of the reasons I love these dishes is their ease of preparation. I may make my living in the artisan, local and homemade food scenes but I am also human and far from perfect. Like everyone else I have a family, a job (or two) and enough responsibilities and engagements to keep me busy until eternity. The value of convenience is not lost on me.

From simple jars of berry jams that make a PB&J what it is, to the home-canned tomatoes that make the base of so many of our winter meals, we’ve found that cooking shortcuts and “farm fresh” foods needn’t be mutually exclusive entities. As we find ourselves trudging deeper and deeper into autumn be on the lookout for canned and freezable goods at your local farmer’s market; ones you can put up for use on busy weeknights and rushed weekends, ones that can make life both easier and more enjoyable.

Some of our favorites are soups — like the Maryland Crab Soup from Angelina’s on Foodzie, featured at the top of this column — Chilis, both beef and turkey, made with tomatoes preserved at the height of the season right in our own kitchen; Tamales that can be taken from freezer to steamer to table and tarts — homemade-type hot pockets — both like those pictured above from the Tucson Tamale Company and Little Pots & Pans Co., also on Foodzie; and last but certainly not least, single serving vegetables and fruits frozen in reusable dishes or vacuum packed bags such as spinach, summer squash, zuchinni, eggplant and berries that can be added to just about any recipe for a healthy little kick.

What are your favorite autumn and winter convenience foods that don’t have to come from the big box store or supermarket?

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